Pages

Hannie was born in San Jose, Costa Rica but spent part of her childhood in New York. Hannie graduated the school of fine arts at the Universidad De Costa Rica. Although her major was sculpture Hannie took great interest in all mediums, experimenting with ceramics, wood, metal, handmade paper just to mention a few. Hannie travelled extensively throughout Central and South America, her discovery of basketry occurred on a trip to Argentina. Hannie graduated with honours in 2000. She began showing her wood, ceramic and metal sculptures throughout Costa Rica.Hannie has participated in over ten collective art shows as well as being accepted into Costa Rican National “Biennales” on numerous occasions. The idea to combine both pine needle basketry and ceramics was a coming together of two of her principle loves in an unusual and unique art form.Hannie and her husband Leo Gotlibowski created “Lugar del Espiral” to combine their extensive talent as artists. Together they took on projects such as the creations of 8 life size human indigenous sculptures for the Costa Rican Pre-Columbian Gold Museum. You can see examples of their murals in mediums as diverse as copper, bronze, ceramic, mosaic, fibreglass and wood throughout Costa Rica. They have recently moved to Los Angeles to embark on a new life and creative career.

contact

Followers

Blog Archive

About Me

Born in San Jose Costa Rica.Attended the fine arts school at the University of Costa Rica where her studies lead her in to investigating the integration of different materials and the experimentation with wood, metal and ceramics. From her experience in ceramics and the technique of pine needle basketry that she acquired in Argentina, came the idea of integrating and combing the two, to form unique one of a kind pieces. Hannie has participated in over ten collective art shows and has been accepted into a couple of national Biennales. In 2000 she gets her degree in plastic arts with emphasis in sculpture. Since then her work can be seen in galleries and art fairs across Costa Rica. Together with her husband Leo Gotlibowski, who is also an artist , desingner and jewler, they form the studio Lugar del espiral, where they reunite both there work and do projects together such as the series of human indigenous sculptures for the pre-Columbian gold museum. Apart from there work in sculpture, ceramics and pine needle basketry, they have also done murals in copper and bronze and in mosaic, that can be seen in different locations around San Jose.

artist statement

I have been a working artist for over 10 years, during that time I have experimented with many medias. The idea to combine both pine needle basketry and ceramics was a coming together of two of my principle loves in an unusual and unique art form. These distinctive, one of a kind pieces are all hand thrown on the potter’s wheel and painted with different tecniques and patinas, then finished in the coiling method using pine needles. I learned these technigues while living in Costa Rica where I was influenced by the natural beauty that surrounded the mountain I lived on and Argentina where I learn't pine neddle baskerty with my husband aunt Delfa Deriu, a master fiber artist. I strive to give character and beauty to each piece making every pot I make an expression of my love of form design with time mastered workmanship.

Working with a torch came naturally to me, my mom is a jeweler and she had my sister and I making necklaces and bracelets from the time we were kids. I loved the techniques she taught me but didn’t like to work so small. I need to express myself in a larger format. I chose to study fine arts with emphases on sculpture. I experimented with lots of mediums, everything from hard Costarrican woods to ceramics, stone to paper, and metal to pine needles. In the last few years I have combined my skills with a torch copper and bronze to create wall sculptures. Every day I am trying out new combinations and loved to mix color, texture and form to create new and unique pieces.